1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a game and to a mat used in the game and in particular to an outdoor game with a mat that sprays water on the players.
2. Description of Prior Art
Action games wherein people actively participate with their bodies are well known. The most popular game is called TWISTER marketed by Milton Bradley Company. In this game one or two players are required to touch unnumbered but colored squares on a vinyl mat. Another action game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,127 in which players are tethered together with removable straps and attempt to obey commands from a remote player who attempts to tangle the players up and thereby force the release of one or more of the tethers.
Various physical action games involving liquids or water are rare. Latex balloons have been filled with water and thrown at objects and other participants in a common outdoor summer pastime for children. Water polo and other games played in a swimming pool are also common. A recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,680 describes a game in which a player wears a hat or helmet which contains water and the water is released when a particular valve member is removed. Another recently issued patent, U. S. , discloses a game in which a water-filled ball having a timed release valve is tossed between the players with the object of avoiding becoming wet when the water is released.
There are several other outdoor water activity toys which offer unstructured or non-rule and non-competitive play. A water slide toy is marketed by Wham-0 Manufacturing called SLIP N SLIDE. This toy has a long vinyl mat that is wetted with a garden hose which distributes the water through holes in the mat. Children run up to and slide down the wet, slick surface. A competitive variation of this product is Marchon's SURF SLIDER wherein children run and slide along a long vinyl mat that is wet by a sprinkler located beside the mat. A number of serious safety concerns have recently been voiced by the Consumer Products Safety Commission on the long vinyl mat water toys as they present an injury hazard to the children. This hazard is accentuated by the necessity to anchor the mats to the lawn using metal or plastic anchors which also provide potentially dangerous obstructions to children.
Finally, Wham-O markets a novelty sprinkler called Fun Fountain which has a base in the shape of a clown's head. The base is attached to a garden hose. A stream of water is directed upwardly through the clown's head, raising the head several feet in the air and cascades down on the children as they run or dance around the sprinkler.